The Phoenix City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on selling land to make room for a planned freeway.
Leaders will consider selling 86 acres of vacant land to the Arizona Department of Transportation for $1.5 million. The site had been leased for sand and gravel operations until last year.
ADOT needs the land at 67th Avenue and Broadway Road for the proposed State Route 30. The freeway is expected to relieve congestion for Interstate 10 and run 13 miles between Loop 202 and Loop 303. If the council approves the land sale, the money will support parks and recreation projects in the area.
The Maricopa Association of Governmentsoversees the metro area’s regional transportation plan and will schedule construction once funding has been identified. MAG is counting on Maricopa County residents to extend Proposition 400, the half-cent sales tax for transportation, for 25 years.
Maricopa County must receive state approval before holding an election on the transportation tax. In July, Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed a bill that would have set an election for March 2023. The current tax is set to expire in 2025.